You can't do it alone...

"I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me."--Numbers 11:14.  This verse is found in the broader context of yet another instance where Israel was complaining because of a lack of food. Of course Moses has probably had more than enough of their complaining and is ready to just give up on them. We find in Numbers 11:15 that Moses would rather die than put up with Israel any longer.  But of course God has other plans and furthermore, we see here that Moses just can't do it alone.

You can't do it alone.  What God does for Moses is to have Moses appoint seventy men from the elders of Israel.  God would have Moses select from his available resources.

You can't do it alone.  To illustrate the point I am trying to get at, I will describe to you something that happened only yesterday.  Last night, I attended the first night of a Vacation Bible School at the Chino church of Christ, CA.  I was asked to help carry something but was told I was going to need an extra set of hands. So the first people I saw were a couple of teenagers and they helped me.

You can't do it alone. There is a basic concept we need to understand as Christians.  And that is the statement I have already made. We can't do it alone.

You can't do it alone.  Of course we need God and His grace but God has also given us our brethren in Christ to help us along in our walk with God.

You can't do it alone. This concept is especially true if someone is a preacher or an elder of the Lord's church.  They can't do it alone either. As I was writing this blog, I received a phone call from a friend of mine and among the things we talked about is the fact that parents need to be actively involved in their teenagers spiritual growth and not just dump that responsibility on the youth minister.  The youth minister can't do it alone and on the broader level the preacher cannot do his job alone.

You can't do it alone.  To illustrate my point further, this week is my last week of a summer internship that I am a part of at the Norco church of Christ.  One of the things I have recognized while here is the need for the whole congregation to be actively involved in the evangelistic efforts of the church.  This is especially true at congregations as small as Norco is.

You can't do it alone.  So my encouragement to you is this.  The first thing we need to do to tap into our available resources is simply to ASK! What some of my own experience has taught me is that more people than we realize are willing to help but the problem is nobody asks them to help.  Worse off, if said people offer to help, many people are too proud to accept the help.  Dare I say it again? WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE!

You can't do it alone.  Moses needed help when he was in charge of thousands.  Preachers and elders have a responsibility towards hundreds.  If Moses couldn't do it alone, preachers and elders certainly can't do it alone. So in closing, remember Moses who first went to God and then sought out the assistance of his fellow Israelites.  Since the Lord's church is the true Israel, we too must seek out the assistance of our "fellow Israelites"  not if, but WHEN we need it.  So if you need help in some area of your own ministry or just help with some task, don't be afraid to ask for help because the fact is...

YOU CAN'T DO IT ALONE! DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!